Seiya Suzuki remembers being in the Tokyo Dome when Hideki Matsui returned with the Yankees as part of MLB’s season-opening series in 2004. Matsui launched a mammoth home run deep into the right-field stands and a 9-year-old Suzuki was within the wild, celebrating crowd.
Suzuki will return as a Major Leaguer to that same diamond, where he and Cubs star Shota Imanaga will face Japanese stars Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki, along with the rest of the Dodgers in the Tokyo Series. Suzuki feels honored to know there will be kids looking up to him now, too.
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“I’m really excited. I think it’s a wonderful opportunity for the kids,” Suzuki said via interpreter, Edwin Stanberry, during MLB Spring Training in Arizona. “It’s just a great opportunity for them to experience and get to watch players and make their own memories.”
MLB.com: Does that make it important to have so many stars from Japan now playing in the Major Leagues to inspire kids to play?
Suzuki: It’s a great thing that kids can aspire to be that star player in MLB. For example, watching Shohei Ohtani, there’s a lot more players who are two-way -- pitching and hitting. It’s a great opportunity for the kids to get to watch the influx of players here.
MLB.com: For those who have not experienced the crowds in Japan, how would you describe the environment there compared to fans at Major League games in the U.S.?
Suzuki: It’s completely different. There’s great parts about the environment and the fans [in the U.S.] as well as in Japan, but it’s so different. I hope they enjoy those differences.
MLB.com: Are the fans in the Wrigley Field bleachers in right field a whole different experience, too?
Suzuki: Yeah, they don’t have that there. First of all, in Japan, you won’t see a fan take off their shirt. For me, I had never experienced that before. It was refreshing. When Japanese people go to a game, they’re not going to take off their shirts.
MLB.com: What was it like having Shota join the team last year after being with the Cubs for two years? How much did that help?
Suzuki: I think I was helped out just watching him -- what he does well. It really pushes me to do well, too. Just having another guy like that, for me, it just helped to try to get better with myself.
MLB.com: With how much you learned in your first couple years in the Major Leagues, how impressed were you by Shota in his rookie year?
Suzuki: Obviously Shota was a great player in Japan and that’s why he’s in the U.S. Putting up good numbers is one thing, but you don’t know how you’ll acclimate in a new environment until you try it. It was hard for me my first year. It’s amazing that he’s able to adapt. “Having a good record” is one thing, but I’m impressed with his ability to acclimate.
MLB.com: Your second half and offensive numbers overall were strong last year. What’s going to be the key to taking your game to the next level this season?
Suzuki: For me, it’s always been staying aggressive, especially on that first pitch. I think in the past, getting that first pitch, there were a couple times where I’d mis-hit it, and that’s my drawback. So, just getting those opportunities and executing on those opportunities would be great.
MLB.com: You saw Ohtani and Yamamoto win the World Series last year with the Dodgers. How much pride would it give you and Shota to help bring a World Series to Chicago?
Suzuki: For me, I don’t really pay too much attention to what other teams are doing. But the season is very long and it’s a tough season, so I think you want to win with your team, have fun and enjoy the championship. For me, it’s about grinding through the season with your teammates and, at the end, finishing it up with a smile.
More exclusive content is available in the MLB Tokyo Series Official Program, which is on Sale at Tokyo Dome, Miyashita Park and Skytree.